Platform: Mac, Windows

After her beloved Viggo is captured in spectacular fashion by a caped figure (rad) on horseback (radder) with a lasso (raddest), Christine turns to you for her assistance in tracking him down and rescuing him. Because both these two lovebirds were previously in the opera, it stands to reason everything they do must be done in the most dramatic way possible, so naturally Viggo has found a way to send Christine letters from his prison by trained pigeons. You find yourself led to the mysterious Blackhill Manor only to be swiftly separated from your companion and forced to go it alone. Will you succeed in rescuing Viggo and Christine? Or will you find yourself the next victim of the strange Black Widow of Blackhill Manor? Find out in Vast Games'hidden-objectadventureNightfall Mysteries: Black Heart, the sequel to Curse of the Opera and Asylum Conspiracy. Both of which, incidentally, you should have played before this so you know what's going on... but since they're two of my favourite casual download games of all time you've already done so, right? Right. Onward!

To save Viggo, you'll need to uncover the secret of Blackhill Manor (all manors are contractually obligated to have dark secrets) and his twisted family tree. Unlike most games, Black Heart offers three flavours of difficulty, including an unusual "extreme" choice that refuses to offer any help at all while you play. Hint and skip buttons make their usual appearances, but in most cases they're the only help you have as you go deeper into the twisted Blackhill Manor. Like any good villains, the bad guys here have gone to great extent to leave clues and even tape recordings around to aid you in your search for Viggo, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. You'll solve puzzles and hidden-object scenes, avoid attempts on your life more than once, and uncover the truth about one of the weirdest family trees you're likely to encounter.

Analysis: With its flair for high drama, soap-opera complex storylines, and ghoulish charms, Nightfall Mysteries has been a personal favourite series of mine for some time now. Black Heart, happily, continues the tradition and provides a solidly entertaining adventure that constantly throws new clues and scenes at you to keep you engaged. The whole design is beautiful and full of small touches both fantastical and macabre, like a wedding dress designed by Vera Wang, Tim Burton... and Dexter Morgan. Exploring and discovering the audio tapes is a lot of fun, especially since the voice acting this time around is actually quite good. Of course, at this point in the series, the narrative is more than a little convoluted. Despite how drastically it has deviated from its origins, this actually works in its favour by providing a campy but exciting and intriguing little thriller mystery. Plane crashes? Bloody bathtubs? Cowled and murderous gymnastic savants? Beats a stick in yer eye any day. (Who came up with that as an endorsement? What a silly thing to say. Moving on... )

If Black Heart has any real flaws, they're mostly the same technical quibbles the whole series has possessed, such as somewhat finicky click detection or item usage, and the somewhat disappointing "fuzzy" artwork that's nowhere near as sharp as you'd expect. The actual gameplay itself, for the most part, is solid, if standard. None of the item uses are particularly obtuse, but be prepared to use an item once, have it vanish, and then encounter an identical issue that needs a different item more than once. You know, typical adventure game stuff. The puzzles are all mostly stylized versions of concepts you're most likely going to have seen before, and hidden-object scenes are mostly balanced both in terms of difficulty and how often they crop up. Which, y'know, is probably a good thing if you're getting annoyed with "random garbage pile" item assortments in these scenes like I am.

Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart doesn't really provide any innovation, but it marries story and gameplay better than most games in the genre out there. At around five hours for a leisurely playthrough, it's also a good length. While the perplexingly grainy visuals might be a turn off for some, those that stick with it will find an engagingly cheesy and dramatic adventure that's well worth your time. Give the demo and try, and then go and brush up on your pigeon taming/training skills. After all, these are skills we should all apparently know in an emergency. Bless you, Viggo.

A Collector's Edition is also available. It contains a bonus chapter, art gallery, strategy guide, and more. Remember that Big Fish Game Club Members pay only $13.99 for Collector's Editions (or 2 club credits), and collector's editions count 3 card punches of 6 total needed for a free game.

At the start of a new game, you have a choice between three difficulties: Casual, Advanced, and Extreme mode.

In Casual mode, the Hint has a modest recharge timer, sparkles will indicate active areas, and you will be offered a beginner's tutorial at the start of the game.

In Advanced mode, the Hint button has a slower recharge timer and sparkles will have a longer period of time between indicating active zones.

In the Extreme mode, the Hint button and sparkles are removed entirely from the game, and you will not receive the option for the beginner's tutorial.

Use the cursor to interact with the environment.

The cursor will change to a magnifying glass when you can inspect an area more closely or start a puzzle or hidden object scene.

The cursor changes to a directional arrow when you can move to a different location.

The cursor changes to a speech bubble when you can talk to one of the characters.

The cursor changes to a hand when you can pick up an item to add it to your Inventory or to interact directly with the environment.

The Inventory is the toolbar located at the bottom of the screen.

Your Inventory bar contains all of the items you will need to progress through the game.

Click an item in your Inventory to select it, then click on an area in the game to attempt to use the item.

Often, once an item is used, it will disappear permanently from your Inventory.

Click the arrows at the left and right sides of the Inventory to toggle through the multiple sections of the list.

To the right of the Inventory bar is the Hint button.

The Hint button can be used to reveal an item during a hidden object scene, offer additional information about a puzzle, or to show you the next step of your adventure if you're stuck.

While solving a puzzle, the Skip button will appear at the bottom of the window.

Press the Skip button when it fully charges to immediately complete the puzzle.

Hidden object scenes are areas indicated by sparkles where you must collect various randomized objects listed at the bottom to receive a new inventory item upon completion.

In the screenshots of this guide, the random items are highlighted in purple, and the inventory item you receive at the end is labeled and highlighted in blue.

If two items must be combined in a hidden object scene, the name of that object will be colored green in the list and highlighted green in the screenshot.

If an item must be manipulated to reveal a hidden object, the name of that item object will be colored yellow in the list highlighted yellow in the screenshot.

On the left side of the Inventory bar is the Journal.

The Journal contains multiple tabs that offer helpful information and track your progress through the game.

The Clues tab includes important images and texts that document the information you find.

The Audio Tapes tab is a collection of each of the 15 hidden tape cassettes that you have discovered.

Click and drag an audio tape cassette into the tape player to hear and read the information on that tape.

The Map tab includes the entire floor plan to the estate.

An area you have not yet visited will be labeled with a "?"; once you have reached that destination, it will be labeled properly with the name of the room.

The "X" on the map indicates your current location.

A "!" on the map denotes an area where you still have available actions to complete.

The Collectables tab tracks the number of hidden Opera Masks you have discovered and the rewards you have earned. Find all of the Opera Masks located throughout the game to unlock bonus music and concept art as well as 12 additional hidden object scenes and puzzles.

Under the Journal is the Menu button. Click the Menu button to view an in-game menu where you can pause the game, edit the Options, view additional in-game Help, or Exit to the main menu.

Read the note from the Countess, then take the HEDGE CLIPPERS from the door handle.

Click the cupid statue on the pedestal at the end of the left banister for a closer look.

Take the GOLD LEAF from the statue's waist.

Go back to the Courtyard.

Courtyard

Click the grate at the bottom of the building to speak with Viggo.

Inspect the right gate under the hedge archway for a closer look.

Use the HEDGE CLIPPERS three times to remove the hedge plants and start the puzzle.

Position each slider correctly on the bar using the color clues.

Click the up and down directional arrows at the ends of the slider to move it around the bar.

Click the spider to test your solution: a correctly positioned slider will turn green, an incorrectly positioned slider will turn red, and a slider within one space of the correct position will turn yellow.

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At the start of a new game, you have a choice between three difficulties: Casual, Advanced, and Extreme mode.

In Casual mode, the Hint has a modest recharge timer, sparkles will indicate active areas, and you will be offered a beginner's tutorial at the start of the game.

In Advanced mode, the Hint button has a slower recharge timer and sparkles will have a longer period of time between indicating active zones.

In the Extreme mode, the Hint button and sparkles are removed entirely from the game, and you will not receive the option for the beginner's tutorial.

Use the cursor to interact with the environment.

The cursor will change to a magnifying glass when you can inspect an area more closely or start a puzzle or hidden object scene.

The cursor changes to a directional arrow when you can move to a different location.

The cursor changes to a speech bubble when you can talk to one of the characters.

The cursor changes to a hand when you can pick up an item to add it to your Inventory or to interact directly with the environment.

The Inventory is the toolbar located at the bottom of the screen.

Your Inventory bar contains all of the items you will need to progress through the game.

Click an item in your Inventory to select it, then click on an area in the game to attempt to use the item.

Often, once an item is used, it will disappear permanently from your Inventory.

Click the arrows at the left and right sides of the Inventory to toggle through the multiple sections of the list.

To the right of the Inventory bar is the Hint button.

The Hint button can be used to reveal an item during a hidden object scene, offer additional information about a puzzle, or to show you the next step of your adventure if you're stuck.

While solving a puzzle, the Skip button will appear at the bottom of the window.

Press the Skip button when it fully charges to immediately complete the puzzle.

Hidden object scenes are areas indicated by sparkles where you must collect various randomized objects listed at the bottom to receive a new inventory item upon completion.

In the screenshots of this guide, the random items are highlighted in purple, and the inventory item you receive at the end is labeled and highlighted in blue.

If two items must be combined in a hidden object scene, the name of that object will be colored green in the list and highlighted green in the screenshot.

If an item must be manipulated to reveal a hidden object, the name of that item object will be colored yellow in the list highlighted yellow in the screenshot.

On the left side of the Inventory bar is the Journal.

The Journal contains multiple tabs that offer helpful information and track your progress through the game.

The Clues tab includes important images and texts that document the information you find.

The Audio Tapes tab is a collection of each of the 15 hidden tape cassettes that you have discovered.

Click and drag an audio tape cassette into the tape player to hear and read the information on that tape.

The Map tab includes the entire floor plan to the estate.

An area you have not yet visited will be labeled with a "?"; once you have reached that destination, it will be labeled properly with the name of the room.

The "X" on the map indicates your current location.

A "!" on the map denotes an area where you still have available actions to complete.

The Collectables tab tracks the number of hidden Opera Masks you have discovered and the rewards you have earned. Find all of the Opera Masks located throughout the game to unlock bonus music and concept art as well as 12 additional hidden object scenes and puzzles.

Under the Journal is the Menu button. Click the Menu button to view an in-game menu where you can pause the game, edit the Options, view additional in-game Help, or Exit to the main menu.

Read the note from the Countess, then take the HEDGE CLIPPERS from the door handle.

Click the cupid statue on the pedestal at the end of the left banister for a closer look.

Take the GOLD LEAF from the statue's waist.

Go back to the Courtyard.

Courtyard

Click the grate at the bottom of the building to speak with Viggo.

Inspect the right gate under the hedge archway for a closer look.

Use the HEDGE CLIPPERS three times to remove the hedge plants and start the puzzle.

Position each slider correctly on the bar using the color clues.

Click the up and down directional arrows at the ends of the slider to move it around the bar.

Click the spider to test your solution: a correctly positioned slider will turn green, an incorrectly positioned slider will turn red, and a slider within one space of the correct position will turn yellow.

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